Mathew Michael Domeier

• Domeier, Mathew Michael; Gallo, Leandro C.; Marcilly, Chloé M. & Torsvik, Trond H. (2026). Quadrupolar sea level fluctuations reveal episodes of rapid polar wander. Science. ISSN 0036-8075. 394(6819), p. 87–90. doi: 10.1126/science.aec8423. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  True polar wander (TPW) is presently occurring at a rate of ~10 centimeters per year, exceeding the mean rate of differential plate motion. Whether this rate is transient and negligible on geological timescales or whether Earth has experienced rapid TPW lasting millions of years is unclear. Paleomagnetic evidence has been used to propose fast episodes of TPW, but limitations of the paleomagnetic record have precluded definitive results. Rapid TPW will induce global sea level fluctuations associated with relative changes in centrifugal potential, offering an independent test. We evaluated this prediction using continental flooding reconstructions and identified multiple robust quadrupolar patterns since 320 million years ago, confirming that protracted rapid TPW has occurred on Earth and that couplings among Earth’s rotational dynamics, mantle processes, and surface environments can be strongly episodic.

• Zhang, Yiming; Swanson‐Hysell, Nicholas L.; Domeier, Mathew Michael; Gallo, Leandro; Sapienza, Facundo & Afanador, Diego Alberto Osorio (2026). Enriching Paleogeographic Reconstruction Through the Integration of Bayesian Age Models Into Site‐Based Apparent Polar Wander Paths. Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR): Solid Earth. ISSN 2169-9313. 131(9). doi: 10.1029/2026jb034561. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Apparent polar wander paths (APWPs) synthesized from paleomagnetic data are foundational to our understanding of the long‐term motions of lithospheric plates. Recent progress has highlighted the advantages of developing such paths from paleomagnetic sites that provide individual snapshots of the ancient geomagnetic field. This approach contrasts with traditional methods that rely on study‐level mean poles—through which it is challenging to incorporate positional and temporal uncertainty. A benefit of the site‐based approach is the flexibility in incorporating temporal information. Rather than relying on a single age assigned to a mean paleomagnetic pole that groups sites together, varied ages can be assigned to individual sites. It also allows the incorporation of stratigraphic superposition constraints, which would otherwise be discarded. We show how probabilistic stratigraphic age models can be integrated into the development of site‐based APWPs. Through resampling from the posterior distributions of such age models, temporal uncertainty can be incorporated while honoring stratigraphic superposition. We illustrate this approach using volcanic and sedimentary successions with U‐Pb age constraints from the late Mesoproterozoic Midcontinent Rift of North America combined with contemporaneous lavas and intrusions from southwestern Laurentia. The result is a site‐based APWP of the Keweenawan Track with significantly higher temporal resolution than a traditional running mean. The high‐resolution path gives insights into motion rates and constrains the timing of change in path direction without requiring additional assumptions. This framework demonstrates how probabilistic treatment of age and positional uncertainties can strengthen quantitative tests of tectonic models.

• Conrad, Clinton Phillips & Domeier, Mathew Michael (2026). Seamount volcanism associated with Earth’s basal mantle structures | Nature Geoscience. Nature Geoscience. ISSN 1752-0894. 19(7), p. 822–827. doi: 10.1038/s41561-026-02007-z. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  While seafloor spreading and subduction explain much of the volcanic activity in Earth’s oceans, magmatism occurring within tectonic plate interiors requires a deeper mantle explanation. Various types of oceanic intraplate volcanism, including oceanic plateaus and hotspot-associated seamount chains, have been attributed to plumes rising from the margins of two continent-sized structures termed large low-shear-velocity provinces (LLSVPs) in the lowermost mantle beneath Africa and the Pacific Ocean. Here we analyse seamount catalogues and show that seamount volcanism is more voluminous on seafloor that has passed above a LLSVP. We find that this volcanic enhancement is evident above both LLSVPs, but is greater above the Pacific one and has declined since the mid-Cretaceous. We suggest that weak plumes rising from both LLSVPs interact with oceanic lithosphere to promote seamount volcanism. This process may be enhanced for the Pacific because of elevated mantle temperature, transition zone hydration and/or convective vigour in the Pacific hemisphere. Our findings provide additional support for the hypothesis that plumes carrying heat from the LLSVPs are responsible for most oceanic intraplate volcanism, including dispersed seamounts. This deep mantle connection means that seamount volcanism is sensitive to, and thus may constrain, the time-dependent dynamics of Earth’s deepest mantle. Seamount volcanism is more voluminous where seafloor has passed above a large low-shear-velocity province, consistent with mantle plumes being responsible for most oceanic intraplate volcanism, according to an analysis of seamount catalogues.

• Xue, Yi; Domeier, Mathew Michael; Silkoset, Petter; Gallo, Leandro Cesar; Tonti-Filippini, Justin Antony Dean & Walderhaug, Harald James (2026). Cryptic Paleomagnetic Complexity in the Ediacaran Egersund Dikes. Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems. 27(5). doi: 10.1029/2025GC012730. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Ediacaran Period (∼635–539 Ma) represents a critical interval in Earth's evolution, yet its paleomagnetic record remains complex and contentious. One of the few Ediacaran paleomagnetic results from Baltica considered robust is a pole from the ca. 616 Ma Egersund dikes in southwest Norway, which is interpreted to represent a primary thermoremanent magnetization. However, we report on a new paleomagnetic and rock magnetic investigation of these dikes that suggests that their paleomagnetic record is more complex than previously recognized. Our results reveal a multicomponent remanence structure, and we identify a new high-temperature component that positive baked contact tests suggest to be the primary thermoremanent magnetization. Together with microscopic and geochemical analyses, we demonstrate that another distinct component represents a remagnetization acquired during Caledonian orogenesis. Although we also identified a stable direction similar to that interpreted as the primary component in earlier studies, our analysis suggests this component may be an artifact resulting from vector overlap of the other components. The origins of two additional directions, which deviate markedly from the other components and known Phanerozoic reference directions, remain uncertain. They may reflect transitional geomagnetic states, hinting at the possibility of a more dynamic and unstable Ediacaran geomagnetic field. Our revised pole position (20.8°N, 89.0°E) differs from earlier results by more than 40°, with important implications for Baltica's paleogeographic evolution. This study underscores the value of integrated approaches and highlights the importance of reinvestigating key paleomagnetic results, particularly from data-poor intervals of time and space.

• Tomé, Camila R.; Savian, Jairo F.; Oliveira, Wellington P. de; Hartmann, Gelvam A.; Fontoura, João A.S. & Domeier, Mathew Michael [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2026). Paleodirections and paleointensity of the Zimbros dikes (South Brazil): Evidence for ultralow fields and hints of a dipole in the mid-Ediacaran. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. ISSN 0012-821X. 684. doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2026.119961. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Ediacaran (635–538 Ma) paleomagnetic records from multiple continents are associated with populations of paleopoles nearly synchronous in time but widely separated in space. Some hypotheses to explain these data appeal to rapid motions of the solid Earth, whereas others invoke a non-geocentric axial dipole (GAD) or an extremely weak GAD field with high paleosecular variation and frequent reversals. We present new directional and absolute paleointensity constraints obtained from two mafic dikes of the Zimbros Intrusive Suite (ca. 590 Ma) in the Dom Feliciano Belt (DFB), southern Brazil. Magnetite and low-Ti titanomagnetite are the main magnetic carriers, associated with pseudo-single-domain to multidomain magnetic behavior. Directional analyses reveal that the dikes host two distinct magnetization components. The low-temperature component is attributed to pyrrhotite, likely related to late-stage tectonic events. The high-temperature component, held by low-Ti titanomagnetite/magnetite, is interpreted as the characteristic remanent magnetization. This component’s directions are antipodal and compatible with a dominantly GAD field, but a high degree of directional dispersion may reflect an unstable field. Absolute paleointensity experiments yielded 19 reliable estimates with virtual dipole moments (VDM) of 0.38 ± 0.15 × 10²² and 0.89 ± 0.33 × 10²² Am². The validity of these ultra-low estimates was confirmed by their stability under progressively stricter selection criteria based on curvature analysis, indicating the estimates' internal consistency. The obtained VDMs are consistent with coeval results from Laurentia and Baltica, and with an existing time-averaged field estimate from the DFB. Together, these results provide additional evidence of a remarkably weak Ediacaran geomagnetic field.

• Boon, Annique van der; Schubert, Brian; Hagopian, William Martin; Domeier, Mathew Michael & Jahren, Anne Hope Florine (2026). High-resolution carbon isotope record from Svalbard reveals elevated atmospheric CO2 during the Middle Devonian Taghanic crisis. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. ISSN 0031-0182. 691. doi: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2026.113747. Full text in Research Archive
• Smelror, Morten; Gasser, Deta; Domeier, Mathew Michael & Hammer, Øyvind (2026). Reestablishment of an early life shallow marine ecosystem in the Neoproterozoic Gardnos meteorite impact crater (Norway). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. ISSN 0031-0182. 687. doi: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2026.113607. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Trace fossils, microbially induced sedimentary structures (MISS), palynomorphs and particulate organic matter (POM) found in post-impact sediments in the Gardnos meteorite crater provide evidence of reestablishment of a Neoproterozoic ecosystem in a shallow marine, littoral environment, with sediments covered by microbial mats. Trace fossils are rare and restricted to horizontal burrows, including Gordia, Helminthopsis, Yichnia and poorly preserved tracks resembling Archaeonassa. MISS and water-escape structures are common and include characteristic features like Aristophycus. The recovered organic walled microfossils Trachysphaeridium laminaritum and Sphaerocongregus variabilis indicate a late Neoproterozoic age for the post-impact sediments. Particulate organic matter in deposits comprise dominantly dark grey to black, highly thermally altered amorphous kerogen and fragments of algal material (TAI ∼ 4, temperature ˃ 250 °C). The trace fossils and MISS are typical of Neoproterozoic shallow marine mat-ground environments which existed prior to the development of Phanerozoic mixed-ground ecosystems.

• Xing, Longyun; Cheng, Xin; Domeier, Mathew Michael; Wei, Bitian; Shen, Zhongshan & Jiang, Nan [Show all 13 contributors for this article] (2025). Was the Lhasa Block at Low Latitudes in the Middle Permian? Insights From New Paleomagnetic and Geochronological Data. Geophysical Research Letters. ISSN 0094-8276. 52(7). doi: 10.1029/2024GL114347. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The absence of reliable paleomagnetic constraints from the Lhasa Block has led to alternative interpretations of its late Paleozoic position and timing of rifting from Gondwana, reflecting uncertainties in early Neo-Tethyan paleogeography. This study presents paleomagnetic and geochronological data from the middle Permian Luobadui Formation, providing a new paleogeographic constraint on the Lhasa Block. Despite possible remagnetization, the dual-polarity magnetization, hosted in different minerals and lithologies, likely represents a middle Permian remanence. This constraint implies the Lhasa Block was located at 16.7 ± 5.3°S at 267.8 ± 5 Ma, following its rifting from Gondwana. New U-Pb detrital zircon ages from sandstones further suggest the Lhasa Block was located along the northwestern margin of Australia prior to rifting. Integrating other geological evidence, we propose that the Bangong Co-Nujiang and Yarlung-Zangbo oceans, now preserved as sutures flanking the Lhasa Block, both opened before the middle Permian, potentially representing branches of the same nascent oceanic corridor (Neo-Tethys).

• Torsvik, Trond Helge; Cocks, L. Robin M.; Domeier, Mathew Michael; Marcilly, Chloe M. & Dowding, Elizabeth M. (2025). Devonian palaeogeography and environmental change: an incomplete chronicle. Zeitschrift der Deutschen Gesellschaft fur Geowissenschaften. ISSN 1860-1804. 176(2), p. 193–214. doi: 10.1127/zdgg/2025/0454. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Abstract: The 60-million-year-long Devonian Period witnessed a host of major environmental changes, encompassing the rise and global expansion of large land plants, the occurrence of several major biological turnovers (including the third largest mass-extinction), and significant fluctuations in atmospheric CO2 that may have, enigmatically, been decoupled from coeval trends in global temperature. Despite their importance, the origins and impacts of these environmental changes remain poorly understood. Palaeogeography undoubtedly played a key role in instigating and influencing these changes, but it too remains ill-resolved in Devonian time. Here we seek to both illuminate and promote the further consideration of the interplay between the evolving palaeogeography of the Devonian and its environmental transitions. We present a detailed dissection of the changing geography, palaeobiology and environment of the Devonian at the regional and global scale, together with a series of new palaeogeographic and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. We also compare our new reconstructions with other widely used reconstructions from this time and discuss some key outstanding uncertainties whose resolution will be essential to further unravel the

• Yu, Liang; Yan, Maodu; Domeier, Mathew Michael; Li, Bingshuai; Shen, Miaomiao & Guan, Chong [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2025). New Paleomagnetic results from Late Triassic limestone of the Eastern Qiangtang Terrane: Implications for the closure of the Paleo-Jinshajiang Ocean. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. ISSN 0031-0182. 657. doi: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2024.112610. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  To constrain the drift history of the Eastern Qiangtang Terrane and the closure time of the Paleo-Jinshajiang Ocean, we conducted a paleomagnetic study of Late Triassic limestones in the Qamdo region of the Eastern Qiangtang Terrane. The results of the rock magnetic, petrographic, and reversal test indicate the limestones carry primary magnetizations. Our new paleomagnetic data provide a Late Triassic paleopole of 30.9°N, 161.4°E (A95 = 8.4°), which corresponds to a paleolatitude of 35 ± 8.4°N for the study area. Integrating these data with existing paleomagnetic results and geological evidence, we determine that the Eastern Qiangtang Terrane was situated at a relatively constant paleolatitudinal position without significant N-S displacements during ∼230–209 Ma. We conclude that the Paleo-Jinshajiang Ocean in the Qamdo region had already closed before ∼221 Ma, and likely around ∼230 Ma.

• Lloyd, Simon; Biggin, Andrew J.; Domeier, Mathew Michael; Lundmark, Anders Mattias & Boon, Annique van der (2025). Low Geomagnetic Paleointensity in the Mid‐Part of the Kiaman Superchron. Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR): Solid Earth. ISSN 2169-9313. 130(1). doi: 10.1029/2024JB030314. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Kiaman Reversed Superchron (∼260–318 Ma) is the longest known period of single geomagnetic polarity in Earth history (∼55 million years). It is associated with anomalously low dispersion of virtual geomagnetic poles and some high estimates of Earth's dipole moment. However, many of these strong paleointensity data are of poor or unknown quality. Here we report full-vector paleomagnetic measurements from a series of mid-Kiaman (∼282–302 Ma) lamprophyre dykes from Orkney, Scotland. A total of 258 paleointensity experiments were performed alongside rock magnetic experiments and scanning electron microscopy. Eleven dykes produced virtual dipole moment estimates indicating that the field was weak (between 0.1 and 2.9 × 1022 Am2) at 302 Ma and only moderately stronger (between 2.7 and 7.1 × 1022 Am2) at 282 Ma. These new data challenge the paradigm of a uniquely strong field in the Kiaman superchron and are especially intriguing when considered alongside recent studies of geomagnetic field behavior during the later Cretaceous Normal Superchron (∼84–121 Ma). Average dipole moment may be marginally elevated and paleosecular variation moderately suppressed during the superchrons but, in other respects, the field can appear similar to that encountered during other times. The deep-Earth conditions allowing for the generation of a geomagnetic field that is capable of weak, unstable behavior and transitory polarity inversions, while nevertheless maintaining a dominant single polarity for tens of millions of years, is not yet clear. The challenge of explaining superchrons and their geodynamic origin motivates further study integrating paleomagnetic observations with predictions from geodynamo simulations.

• Gallo, Leandro Cesar; Domeier, Mathew Michael; Antonio, Paul Yves Jean; sapienza, facundo; Rapalini, Augusto & Font, Eric [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2025). Unraveling remagnetization sources using statistical learning. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. ISSN 0012-821X. 662. doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119390. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The paleomagnetic archive provides invaluable insights into Earth's history, but its records are often obscured by various geological processes. A prime example is remagnetization, which can replace the original natural remanent magnetization. Although magnetic overprints can be detected by traditional paleomagnetic tests, the mechanisms responsible for them often remain elusive because linking bulk magnetic properties to their microscopic sources is inherently challenging. Here, we bridge this gap by pairing an extensive rock magnetic and geochemical dataset with statistical learning techniques for the first time. Using a Random Forest regressor trained on geochemical data, we accurately predict the growth of fine-grained magnetite in an undeformed late Ediacaran section of remagnetized carbonate rocks from Paraguay. Our modeling results identify the K/Al ratio—alongside K and Sr contents—as key predictors of this remagnetization mechanism. Notably, clay mineralogy analyses further link the K/Al ratio to enhanced clay authigenesis (illitization) driven by K-feldspar dissolution and albitization—processes that also release iron. Together, these findings indicate that remagnetization occurred via authigenic magnetite formation under isochemical diagenesis—without the involvement of external fluids. This novel application of statistical learning to uncover the geochemical drivers of chemical remagnetizations provides a robust framework to investigate and understand these events. It could also open new avenues for their direct dating, thereby significantly enriching the global paleomagnetic record.

• Wang, Helene; Magni, Valentina; Conrad, Clinton Phillips & Domeier, Mathew Michael (2025). Hydrous Regions of the Mantle Transition Zone Lie Beneath Areas of Continental Intraplate Volcanism. Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems. 26(3). doi: 10.1029/2024GC011901. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Great volumes of water are carried downward into the mantle transition zone (MTZ, 410–670 km depth) by subducting slabs. If this water is later drawn upward, the resulting mantle melting may generate continental intraplate volcanism (IPV). Despite water's importance, its amount and spatial distribution within the MTZ, and its impact on IPV, are poorly constrained. Here we use plate tectonic reconstructions to estimate the rates and positions of water injection into the MTZ by subducted slabs during the past 400 Myr. This allows us to construct global maps of heterogeneous MTZ hydration, which we then compare to IPV eruption locations from the past 200 Myr. We detect a statistically significant correlation between wet MTZ regions and IPV locations at the surface, but only if slabs sink faster than 1 cm/yr, water remains stored in the MTZ for periods of 30–100 Myr, and IPV eruptions occur 10–30 Myr later. We find that 42%–68% of continental IPV is underlain by wet MTZ, with greater fractions associated with longer MTZ residence time. Hydrous underpinning of continental IPV was highest during the Jurassic, when more extensive slab interaction with the MTZ hydrated a wider area of the MTZ. Since the Cretaceous, continents have been moving over the wet MTZ, increasing IPV possibilities. MTZ regions near the northern Pacific, southern Africa, and western Europe have remained dry by avoiding wet slabs. We suggest that subducted water shapes global patterns of intraplate volcanism, with hydrous upwellings rising from the MTZ to generate continental IPV above wet MTZ regions.

• Jones, Lewis A. & Domeier, Mathew Michael (2024). A Phanerozoic gridded dataset for palaeogeographic reconstructions. Scientific Data. 11. doi: 10.1038/s41597-024-03468-w. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Global Plate Models are widely used in the Earth Sciences to reconstruct the past geographic position of geological and palaeontological samples. However, the application of Global Plate Models to retrieve ‘palaeocoordinates’ is not trivial. Different Global Plate Models exist which vary in their complexity, spatiotemporal coverage, reference frame, and intended use. Consequently, careful consideration of which models are appropriate for any given research question is required. Here, we document and provide access to reconstruction datasets for five Global Plate Models in the palaeomagnetic reference frame. These datasets provide ‘true’ palaeolatitudes for three discrete global grids reconstructed at one-million-year intervals throughout the Phanerozoic (540–0 Ma), offering three key benefits for the Earth Science community: (1) allow users to look up palaeocoordinates for their samples (e.g. fossil occurrences) through simple indexing without having to learn additional software packages; (2) provide palaeocoordinates which have been generated consistently with thorough documentation; (3) provide static files which preserve model output and which can be used to evaluate palaeogeographic differences between Global Plate Models.

• Domeier, Mathew Michael; Robert, Boris; Meert, Joseph G.; Kulakov, Evgeniy; McCausland, Phil J.A. & Trindade, Ricardo I.F. [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2023). The enduring Ediacaran paleomagnetic enigma. Earth-Science Reviews. ISSN 0012-8252. 242. doi: 10.1016/j.earscirev.2023.104444. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Ediacaran Period was an interval of significant global transformation, marked by major changes in the biosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere, and possibly the solid Earth. A better understanding of this interval is thus important to an understanding of the diversification of complex life, the history of long-term climatic change and the evolution of global geochemical cycles. Increasingly detailed temporal records are being acquired from Ediacaran rocks to investigate these changes in time, but we still lack a robust paleogeographic framework to study them in space. Paleomagnetic data—which are used to quantitatively determine the ancient position of continents—appear unusually complex and often contradictory throughout this period. The nature of these complex data remains elusive and four distinct hypotheses have been forwarded to explain them: 1) the tectonic plates were moving especially fast, 2) many of the paleomagnetic data have been corrupted in some as-yet unrecognized way, 3) the solid Earth underwent rapid bouts of true polar wander, or 4) the magnetic field was behaving abnormally. Each of these hypotheses have far-reaching implications. Hypotheses 1, 3 and 4 reflect processes which differ dramatically from their present-day counterparts and defy prevailing paradigms of secular change, whereas hypothesis 2 raises questions about the reliability of existing paleomagnetic interpretations and their paleogeographic derivatives. Significant advances will be garnered through resolution of this enigma, but its endurance reflects its intricacy, and any solution is going to require a collective effort. With the aim to stimulate additional community efforts toward solving it, we probe these multiple working hypotheses, elaborate how they may be further tested and discuss the implications of their possible validation.

• Wei, Bitian; Cheng, Xin; Domeier, Mathew Michael; Zhou, Yanan; Chen, Qinglong & Jiang, Nan [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2023). Paleomagnetism of Late Triassic Volcanic Rocks From the South Qiangtang Block, Tibet: Constraints on Longmuco-Shuanghu Ocean Closure in the Paleo-Tethys Realm. Geophysical Research Letters. ISSN 0094-8276. 50(19). doi: 10.1029/2023GL104759. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Abstract The South Qiangtang block of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau represents an area critical to understanding the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic history of the Tethyan realm, but its drift history remains poorly constrained. Here we report a new quantitative paleogeographic constraint for the South Qiangtang block from a paleomagnetic study of Late Triassic volcanic rocks of the Xiaoqiebao Formation. A characteristic remanent magnetization isolated from 25 sites passes both fold‐ and reversal tests, and likely represents a primary magnetization. On the basis of these data, we estimate that the South Qiangtang block occupied a paleolatitude of 30.1 ± 4.6°N at ca. 222 Ma. When combined with existing paleomagnetic constraints, these new results indicate that the South Qiangtang block (and other “Cimmerian” blocks) moved rapidly northward (in true latitude) between the middle Permian and Late Triassic. Our new data further suggest that the southern branch of the Paleo‐Tethys (Longmuco‐Shuanghu Ocean) likely closed by the mid‐Late Triassic.

• Buffan, Lucas; Jones, Lewis A.; Domeier, Mathew Michael; Scotese, Christopher R.; Zahirovic, Sabin & Varela, Sara (2023). Mind the uncertainty: Global plate model choice impacts deep-time palaeobiological studies. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. 14(12), p. 3007–3019. doi: 10.1111/2041-210X.14204. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Global plate models (GPMs) aim to reconstruct the tectonic evolution of the Earth by modelling the motion of the plates and continents through time. These models enable palaeobiologists to study the past distribution of extinct organisms. However, different GPMs exist that vary in their partitioning of the Earth's surface and the modelling of continental motions. Consequently, the preferred use of one GPM will influence palaeogeographic reconstruction of fossil occurrences and any inferred palaeobiological and palaeoclimatic conclusion. Here, using five open-access GPMs, we reconstruct the palaeogeographic distribution of cell centroids from a global hexagonal grid and quantify palaeogeographic uncertainty across the entire Phanerozoic (540–0 Ma). We measure uncertainty between reconstructed coordinates using two metrics: (1) palaeolatitudinal standard deviation and (2) mean pairwise geodesic distance. Subsequently, we evaluate the impact of GPM choice on palaeoclimatic reconstructions when using fossil occurrence data. To do so, we use two climatically sensitive entities (coral reefs and crocodylomorphs) to infer the palaeolatitudinal extent of subtropical climatic conditions for the last 240 million years. Our results indicate that differences between GPMs increase with the age of reconstruction. Specifically, cell centroids rotated to older intervals show larger differences in palaeolatitude and geographic spread than those rotated to younger intervals. However, high palaeogeographic uncertainty is also observed in younger intervals within tectonically complex regions (i.e. in the vicinity of terrane and plate boundaries). We also show that when using fossil data to infer the distribution of subtropical climatic conditions across the last 240 Ma, estimates vary by 6–7° latitude on average, and up to 24° latitude in extreme cases. Our findings confirm that GPM choice is an important consideration when studying past biogeographic patterns and palaeoclimatic trends. We recommend using GPMs that report true palaeolatitudes (i.e. use a palaeomagnetic reference frame) and incorporating palaeogeographic uncertainty into palaeobiological analyses.

• Seton, Maria; Williams, Simon E.; Domeier, Mathew Michael; Collins, Alan S. & Sigloch, Karin (2023). Deconstructing plate tectonic reconstructions. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment. 4, p. 185–204. doi: 10.1038/s43017-022-00384-8. Full text in Research Archive
• Sapienza, F.; Gallo, Leandro Cesar; Zhang, Yiming; Vaes, Bram; Domeier, Mathew Michael & Swanson-Hysell, Nicholas L. (2023). Quantitative Analysis of Paleomagnetic Sampling Strategies. Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR): Solid Earth. ISSN 2169-9313. 128(11). doi: 10.1029/2023JB027211. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Abstract Sampling strategies used in paleomagnetic studies play a crucial role in dictating the accuracy of our estimates of properties of the ancient geomagnetic field. However, there has been little quantitative analysis of optimal paleomagnetic sampling strategies and the community has instead defaulted to traditional practices that vary between laboratories. In this paper, we quantitatively evaluate the accuracy of alternative paleomagnetic sampling strategies through numerical experiments and an associated analytical framework. Our findings demonstrate a strong correspondence between the accuracy of an estimated paleopole position and the number of sites or independent readings of the time‐varying paleomagnetic field, whereas larger numbers of in‐site samples have a dwindling effect. This remains true even when a large proportion of the sample directions are spurious. This approach can be readily achieved in sedimentary sequences by distributing samples stratigraphically, considering each sample as an individual site. However, where the number of potential independent sites is inherently limited the collection of additional in‐site samples can improve the accuracy of the paleopole estimate (although with diminishing returns with increasing samples per site). Where an estimate of the magnitude of paleosecular variation is sought, multiple in‐site samples should be taken, but the optimal number is dependent on the expected fraction of outliers. The use of filters based on angular distance helps the accuracy of paleopole estimation, but leads to inaccurate estimates of paleosecular variation. We provide both analytical formulas and a series of interactive Jupyter notebooks allowing optimal sampling strategies to be developed from user‐informed expectations.

• Gallo, Leandro Cesar; Domeier, Mathew Michael; Sapienza, F.; Swanson-Hysell, N. L.; Vaes, B. & Zhang, Y. [Show all 14 contributors for this article] (2023). Embracing Uncertainty to Resolve Polar Wander: A Case Study of Cenozoic North America. Geophysical Research Letters. ISSN 0094-8276. 50(11). doi: 10.1029/2023GL103436. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Abstract Our understanding of Earth's paleogeography relies heavily on paleomagnetic apparent polar wander paths (APWPs), which represent the time‐dependent position of Earth's spin axis relative to a given block of lithosphere. However, conventional approaches to APWP construction have significant limitations. First, the paleomagnetic record contains substantial noise that is not integrated into APWPs. Second, parametric assumptions are adopted to represent spatial and temporal uncertainties even where the underlying data do not conform to the assumed distributions. The consequences of these limitations remain largely unknown. Here, we address these challenges with a bottom‐up Monte Carlo uncertainty propagation scheme that operates on site‐level paleomagnetic data. To demonstrate our methodology, we present an extensive compilation of site‐level Cenozoic paleomagnetic data from North America, which we use to generate a high‐resolution APWP. Our results demonstrate that even in the presence of substantial noise, polar wandering can be assessed with unprecedented temporal and spatial resolution.

• Robert, Boris; Corfu, Fernando; Domeier, Mathew Michael & Blein, Olivier (2023). Evidence for large disturbances of the Ediacaran geomagnetic field from West Africa. Precambrian Research. ISSN 0301-9268. 394. doi: 10.1016/j.precamres.2023.107095. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Constraining the paleogeography of the Ediacaran is crucial for understanding the extensive tectonic, biological and geochemical changes that occurred during that epoch. Paleomagnetism is an essential tool for reconstructing the Ediacaran paleogeography but it is complicated because the paleomagnetic data of that age display unusually fast and large directional oscillations. Two main competing hypotheses have been proposed: the occurrence of very fast True Polar Wander (TPW) episodes, which correspond to the motion of the planetary spin axis relative to the solid Earth, or strong geomagnetic field disturbances that could potentially be dominated by an equatorial dipole field. Their implications for paleogeographic reconstructions are radically different as TPW would result in a major latitudinal shift of continents of up to ∼ 90°. In this study, we focus on one rapid paleomagnetic change recorded in pyroclastic rocks of the Ouarzazate Group in the Anti-Atlas Belt (Morocco) that has been interpreted to reflect an exceptionally fast episode of True Polar Wander between ∼ 575 and 565 Ma. To further test this hypothesis, tight constraints on the rate of the paleomagnetic directional change are needed, as TPW is speed-limited by mantle viscosity. Here, we present high-resolution Chemical Abrasion Isotope-Dilution Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry (CA-ID-TIMS) U-Pb dates on zircons from seven pyroclastic levels distributed stratigraphically below, in between and above the horizons where the large paleomagnetic change is observed. Based on these new data, we estimate the associated lower bound rate of the apparent polar motion related to this abrupt paleomagnetic change to be 11.6°/Myrs [5.5 – 17.9]. This value is much higher than the TPW speed limit estimated from numerical simulations, suggesting that this large paleomagnetic change cannot be explained by TPW. It could rather be associated with intense perturbations of the Ediacaran geomagnetic field potentially oscillating from an axial to an equatorial dipole. The paleomagnetic pole that we interpret as referring to the axial dipole field would imply that West Africa was located at high latitude during the mid-Ediacaran.

• Wei, Bitian; Cheng, Xin; Domeier, Mathew Michael; Jiang, Nan; Wu, Yiying & Zhang, Weijie [Show all 16 contributors for this article] (2022). Placing Another Piece of the Tethyan Puzzle: The First Paleozoic Paleomagnetic Data From the South Qiangtang Block and Its Paleogeographic Implications. Tectonics. ISSN 0278-7407. 41(10). doi: 10.1029/2022TC007355. Full text in Research Archive
• Gallo, Leandro Cesar; Sapienza, Facundo & Domeier, Mathew Michael (2022). An optimization method for paleomagnetic Euler pole analysis. Computers & Geosciences. ISSN 0098-3004. 166. doi: 10.1016/j.cageo.2022.105150. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Owing to the axial symmetry of the Earth’s magnetic field, paleomagnetic data only directly record the latitudinal and azimuthal positions of crustal blocks in the past, and paleolongitude cannot be constrained. An ability to overcome this obstacle is thus of fundamental importance to paleogeographic reconstruction. Paleomagnetic Euler pole (PEP) analysis presents a unique means to recover such information, but prior implementations of the PEP method have incorporated subjective decisions into its execution, undercutting its fidelity and rigor. Here we present an optimization approach to PEP analysis that addresses some of these deficiencies—namely the objective identification of change-points and small-circle arcs that together approximate an apparent polar wander path. We elaborate on our novel methodology and conduct some experiments with synthetic data to demonstrate its performance. We furthermore present implementations of our methods both as adaptable, stand-alone scripts in Python and as a streamlined interactive workflow that can be operated through a web browser.

• Yu, Liang; Yan, Maodu; Domeier, Mathew Michael; Guan, Chong; Shen, Miaomiao & Fu, Qiang [Show all 15 contributors for this article] (2022). New Paleomagnetic and Chronological Constraints on the Late Triassic Position of the Eastern Qiangtang Terrane: Implications for the Closure of the Paleo-Jinshajiang Ocean. Geophysical Research Letters. ISSN 0094-8276. 49(2). doi: 10.1029/2021GL096902. Full text in Research Archive
• Marcilly, Chloe M.; Torsvik, Trond Helge; Domeier, Mathew Michael & Royer, Dana L. (2021). New paleogeographic and degassing parameters for long-term carbon cycle models. Gondwana Research. ISSN 1342-937X. 97, p. 176–203. doi: 10.1016/j.gr.2021.05.016. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Long-term carbon cycle models are critical for understanding the levels and underlying controls of atmospheric CO2 over geological time-scales. We have refined the implementation of two important boundary conditions in carbon cycle models, namely consumption by silicate weathering and carbon degassing. Through the construction of continental flooding maps for the past 520 million years (Myrs), we have estimated exposed land area relative to the present-day (fA), and the fraction of exposed land area undergoing silicate weathering (fAW-fA). The latter is based on the amount of exposed land within the tropics (±10°) plus the northern/southern wet belts (40-50°N/S) relative to today, which are the prime regions for silicate weathering. We also evaluated climate gradients and potential weatherability by examining the distribution of climate-sensitive indicators. This is particularly important during and after Pangea formation, when we reduce fAW-fA during times when arid equatorial regions were present. We also estimated carbon degassing for the past 410 Myrs using subduction flux from full-plate models as a proxy. We then, for the first time, used the subduction flux to scale and normalize the arc-related zircon age distribution (arc-activity), which allows us to estimate carbon degassing in much deeper time. The effect of these refined modelling parameters for weathering and degassing was then tested in the GEOCARBSULF model, and the results are compared to other climate models and CO2 proxies. The use of arc-activity as a proxy for carbon degassing brings Mesozoic model estimates closer to CO2 proxy values but our models are highly sensitive to the definition of fAW-fA. Considering the land availability to weathering to only variations in tropical latitudes (corrected for arid regions) combined with our new degassing estimates leads to notably higher CO2 levels in the Mesozoic and a better fit with the CO2 proxies.

• Bastos, Lucas Pinto Heckert; Rodrigues, René; Pereira, Egberto; Bergamaschi, Sergio; Alferes, Carmen Lucia Ferreira & Augland, Lars Eivind [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2021). The birth and demise of the vast epicontinental Permian Irati-Whitehill sea: Evidence from organic geochemistry, geochronology, and paleogeography. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. ISSN 0031-0182. 562. doi: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2020.110103. Full text in Research Archive
• Domeier, Mathew Michael; Font, Eric; Youbi, Nasrrddine; Davies, Joshua H.F.L.; Nemkin, Samantha & Voo, Rob Van der [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2021). On the Early Permian shape of Pangea from paleomagnetism at its core. Gondwana Research. ISSN 1342-937X. 90, p. 171–198. doi: 10.1016/j.gr.2020.11.005. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Although central to an understanding of Earth's paleogeography and the myriad processes that it affects, the geometry of Pangea during the early phase of its lifetime has remained a topic of contention since the plate tectonic revolution. Despite decades of analysis and discussion, the crux of this debate still largely hinges on sparse, legacy paleomagnetic data derived from early Permian rocks of the Moroccan Meseta. In this work, we present the results of a study designed to revisit, update and expand on those key data, with the provision of new geochronologic and paleomagnetic results from six Permo-Carboniferous basins in central Morocco. New U-Pb zircon ages from volcanic rocks substantiate and refine existing geochronological data and reveal that volcanism among the studied basins spanned approximately 30 Ma, from at least 305 to 277 Ma, but was possibly punctuated by a more intense pulse in the mid-early Permian (~285 Ma). These new U-Pb data furthermore suggest that the age estimates previously assigned to the key poles from the Moroccan Meseta are probably too young, by some ~10 Ma. New paleomagnetic results from six basins yielded a common, well-defined remanent magnetization from 20 sites that is demonstrated to be pre-middle Permian in age. However, it remains unclear whether this magnetization (which is directionally similar to the previous paleomagnetic data from the same basins) is a primary magnetization acquired at ~285 Ma, or a syn-folding remagnetization that was acquired shortly thereafter, at ~275 Ma. In adopting both interpretations as alternative hypotheses, we examine the corresponding paleogeographic implications of both. Through exhaustive comparisons with reference apparent polar wander paths and the direct reconstruction of Gondwana using these new paleomagnetic results, we demonstrate that in either case (i.e. whether the remanent magnetization is primary or was acquired soon after during folding) the data is compatible with a Pangea A geometry during the early Permian. We close with a topical discussion of some persisting arguments used to defend Pangea B and why we consider them to be flawed.

• Torsvik, Trond Helge; Svensen, Henrik; Steinberger, Bernhard; Royer, Dana L.; Jerram, Dougal Alexander & Jones, Morgan Thomas [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2021). Connecting the Deep Earth and the Atmosphere. Geophysical Monograph Series. ISSN 0065-8448. 263, p. 413–453. doi: 10.1002/9781119528609.ch16. Full text in Research Archive
• Karlsen, Krister Stræte; Conrad, Clinton Phillips; Domeier, Mathew & Trønnes, Reidar G (2021). Spatiotemporal Variations in Surface Heat Loss Imply a Heterogeneous Mantle Cooling History. Geophysical Research Letters. ISSN 0094-8276. 48(6). doi: 10.1029/2020GL092119. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Earth's heat budget is strongly influenced by spatial and temporal variations in surface heat flow caused by plate tectonic cycles. Here, we use a novel set of paleo‐seafloor age grids extending back to the mid‐Paleozoic to infer spatiotemporal variations in surface heat loss. The time‐averaged oceanic heat flow is 36.6 TW, or ∼25% greater than at present‐day. Our thermal budget for the mantle indicates that 149 K/Gyr of cooling occurred over this period, consistent with geochemical estimates of mantle cooling for the past 1 Gyr. Our analysis also suggests sustained rapid cooling of the Pacific mantle hemisphere, which may have cooled ∼50 K more than its African counterpart since 400 Ma. The extra heat released from the Pacific mantle may have been trapped there by the earlier long‐lived supercontinent Rodinia (∼1.1–0.7 Ga), and the Pacific mantle may still be hotter than the African mantle today.

• Temporim, Filipe Altoé; Bellon, U.D.; Domeier, Mathew Michael; Trindade, R.I.F.; D'Agrella-Filho, M.S. & Tohver, Eric (2021). Constraining the Cambrian drift of Gondwana with new paleomagnetic data from post-collisional plutons of the Araçuaí orogen, SE Brazil. Precambrian Research. ISSN 0301-9268. 359. doi: 10.1016/j.precamres.2021.106212. Full text in Research Archive
• Robert, Boris; Domeier, Mathew Michael & Jakob, Johannes (2021). On the origins of the Iapetus ocean. Earth-Science Reviews. ISSN 0012-8252. 221. doi: 10.1016/j.earscirev.2021.103791. Full text in Research Archive
• Karlsen, Krister Stræte; Domeier, Mathew; Gaina, Carmen & Conrad, Clinton Phillips (2020). A tracer-based algorithm for automatic generation of seafloor age grids from plate tectonic reconstructions. Computers & Geosciences. ISSN 0098-3004. 140. doi: 10.1016/j.cageo.2020.104508. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The age of the ocean floor and its time-dependent age distribution control fundamental features of the Earth, such as bathymetry, sea level and mantle heat loss. Recently, the development of increasingly sophisticated reconstructions of past plate motions has provided models for plate kinematics and plate boundary evolution back in geological time. These models implicitly include the information necessary to determine the age of ocean floor that has since been lost to subduction. However, due to the lack of an automated and efficient method for generating global seafloor age grids, many tectonic models, most notably those extending back into the Paleozoic, are published without an accompanying set of age models for oceanic lithosphere. Here we present an automatic, tracer-based algorithm that generates seafloor age grids from global plate tectonic reconstructions with defined plate boundaries. Our method enables us to produce novel seafloor age models for the Paleozoic’s lost ocean basins. Estimated changes in sea level based on bathymetry inferred from our new age grids show good agreement with sea level record estimations from proxies, providing a possible explanation for the peak in sea level during the assembly phase of Pangea. This demonstrates how our seafloor age models can be directly compared with observables from the geologic record that extend further back in time than the constraints from preserved seafloor. Thus, our new algorithm may also aid the further development of plate tectonic reconstructions by strengthening the links between geological observations and tectonic reconstructions of deeper time.

• Wei, Bitian; Yang, Xingfeng; Cheng, Xin; Domeier, Mathew; Wu, Hanning & Kravchinsky, Vadim [Show all 13 contributors for this article] (2020). An Absolute Paleogeographic Positioning of the Early Permian Tarim Large Igneous Province. Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR): Solid Earth. ISSN 2169-9313. 125(5). doi: 10.1029/2019JB019111. Full text in Research Archive
• Robert, Boris; Domeier, Mathew & Jakob, Johannes (2020). Iapetan Oceans: An analog of Tethys? Geology. ISSN 0091-7613. 48( 9), p. 929–933. doi: 10.1130/G47513.1. Full text in Research Archive
• Crameri, Fabio; Magni, Valentina; Domeier, Mathew; Shephard, Grace Elizabeth; Chotalia, Kiran & Cooper, George [Show all 14 contributors for this article] (2020). A transdisciplinary and community-driven database to unravel subduction zone initiation. Nature Communications. 11. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-17522-9. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Subduction zones are pivotal for the recycling of Earth’s outer layer into its interior. However, the conditions under which new subduction zones initiate are enigmatic. Here, we constructed a transdisciplinary database featuring detailed analysis of more than a dozen documented subduction zone initiation events from the last hundred million years. Our initial findings reveal that horizontally forced subduction zone initiation is dominant over the last 100 Ma, and that most initiation events are proximal to pre-existing subduction zones. The SZI Database is expandable to facilitate access to the most current understanding of subduction zone initiation as research progresses, providing a community platform that establishes a common language to sharpen discussion across the Earth Science community.

• Torsvik, Trond Helge; Steinberger, Bernhard; Shephard, Grace; Doubrovine, Pavel; Gaina, Carmen & Domeier, Mathew [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2019). Pacific‐Panthalassic reconstructions: Overview, errata and the way forward. Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems. 20(7), p. 3659–3689. doi: 10.1029/2019GC008402. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  We have devised a new absolute Late Jurassic‐Cretaceous Pacific plate model using a fixed hot spot approach coupled with paleomagnetic data from Pacific large igneous provinces (LIPs) while simultaneously minimizing plate velocity and net lithosphere rotation (NR). This study was motivated because published Pacific plate models for the 83.5‐ to 150‐Ma time interval are variably flawed, and their use affects modeling of the entire Pacific‐Panthalassic Ocean and interpretation of its margin evolution. These flaws could be corrected, but the revised models would imply unrealistically high plate velocities and NR. We have developed three new Pacific realm models with varying degrees of complexity, but we focus on the one that we consider most realistic. This model reproduces many of the Pacific volcanic paths, modeled paleomagnetic latitudes fit well with direct observations, plate velocities and NR resulting from the model are low, and all reconstructed Pacific LIPs align along the surface‐projected margin of the Pacific large low shear wave velocity province. The emplacement of the Shatsky Rise LIP at ~144 Ma probably caused a major plate boundary reorganization as indicated by a major jump of the Pacific‐Izanagi‐Farallon triple junction and a noteworthy change of the Pacific‐Izanagi seafloor spreading direction at around chron M20 time.

• Domeier, Mathew & Torsvik, Trond Helge (2019). Full-plate modelling in pre-Jurassic time. Geological Magazine. ISSN 0016-7568. 156(2), p. 261–280. doi: 10.1017/S0016756817001005. Full text in Research Archive
• Domeier, Mathew; Magni, Valentina; Hounslow, Mark W. & Torsvik, Trond Helge (2018). Episodic zircon age spectra mimic fluctuations in subduction. Scientific Reports. 8. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-35040-z. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Decades of geochronological work have shown the temporal distribution of zircon ages to be episodic on billion-year timescales and seemingly coincident with the lifecycle of supercontinents, but the physical processes behind this episodicity remain contentious. The dominant, end-member models of fluctuating magmatic productivity versus selective preservation of zircon during times of continental assembly have important and very different implications for long-term, global-scale phenomena, including the history of crustal growth, the initiation and evolution of plate tectonics, and the tempo of mantle outgassing over billions of years. Consideration of this episodicity has largely focused on the Precambrian, but here we analyze a large collection of Phanerozoic zircon ages in the context of global, full-plate tectonic models that extend back to the mid-Paleozoic. We scrutinize two long-lived and relatively simple active margins, and show that along both, a relationship between the regional subduction flux and zircon age distribution is evident. In both cases, zircon age peaks correspond to intervals of high subduction flux with a ~10–30 Ma time lag (zircons trailing subduction), illuminating a possibly intrinsic delay in the subduction-related magmatic system. We also show that subduction fluxes provide a stronger correlation to zircon age distributions than subduction lengths do, implying that convergence rates play a significant role in regulating the volume of melting in subduction-related magmatic systems, and thus crustal growth.

• Hosseini, Kasra; Matthews, Kara J.; Sigloch, Karin; Shephard, Grace; Domeier, Mathew & Tsekhmistrenko, Maria (2018). SubMachine: Web-Based Tools for Exploring Seismic Tomography and Other Models of Earth's Deep Interior. Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems. 19(5), p. 1464–1483. doi: 10.1029/2018GC007431. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  We present SubMachine, a collection of web‐based tools for the interactive visualization, analysis, and quantitative comparison of global‐scale data sets of the Earth's interior. SubMachine focuses on making regional and global‐scale seismic tomography models easily accessible to the wider solid Earth community, in order to facilitate collaborative exploration. We have written software tools to visualize and explore over 30 tomography models—individually, side‐by‐side, or through statistical and averaging tools. SubMachine also serves various nontomographic data sets that are pertinent to the interpretation of mantle structure and complement the tomographies. These include plate reconstruction models, normal mode observations, global crustal structure, shear wave splitting, as well as geoid, marine gravity, vertical gravity gradients, and global topography in adjustable degrees of spherical harmonic resolution. By providing repository infrastructure, SubMachine encourages and supports community contributions via submission of data sets or feedback on the implemented toolkits.

• Hounslow, Mark W.; Domeier, Mathew & Biggin, Andrew J. (2018). Subduction flux modulates the geomagnetic polarity reversal rate. Tectonophysics. ISSN 0040-1951. 742-743, p. 34–49. doi: 10.1016/j.tecto.2018.05.018. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Ascertaining the cause of variations in the frequency of geomagnetic polarity reversals through the Phanerozoic has remained a primary research question straddling paleomagnetism and geodynamics for decades. Numerical models suggest the primary control on geomagnetic reversal rates on 10 to 100 Ma timescales is the changing heat flux across the core-mantle boundary and that this is itself expected to be strongly influenced by variations in the flux of lithosphere subducted into the mantle. A positive relationship between the time-dependent global subduction flux and magnetic reversal rate is expected, with a time delay to transmit the thermal imprint into the lowermost mantle. We perform the first test of this hypothesis using subduction flux estimates and geomagnetic reversal rate data back to the early Paleozoic. Subduction area flux estimates are derived from global, full-plate tectonic models, and are evaluated against independent subduction flux proxies based on the global age distribution of detrital zircons and strontium isotopes. A continuous Phanerozoic reversal rate model is built from pre-existing compilations back to ~320 Ma plus a new reversal rate model in the data-sparse mid-to-early Paleozoic. Cross-correlation of the time-dependent subduction flux and geomagnetic reversal rate series reveals a significant correlation with a time delay of ~120 Ma (with reversals trailing the subduction flux). This time delay represents a value intermediate between the seismologically constrained time expected for a subducted slab to transit from the surface to the core-mantle boundary (~150–300 Ma), and the much shorter lag time predicted by some numerical models of mantle flow (~30–60 Ma). While the reason for this large discrepancy remains unclear, it is encouraging that our novel estimate of lag time represents a compromise between them. Although important uncertainties in our proposed relationship remain, these results cast new light on the dynamic connections between the surface and deep Earth, and will help to constrain new models linking mantle convection, the thermal evolution of the lowermost mantle and the geodynamo.

• Domeier, Mathew (2018). Early Paleozoic tectonics of Asia: Towards a full-plate model. Geoscience Frontiers (GSF). ISSN 1674-9871. 9(3), p. 789–862. doi: 10.1016/j.gsf.2017.11.012. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Asia is key to a richer understanding of many important lithospheric processes such as crustal growth, continental evolution and orogenesis. But to properly decipher the secrets Asia holds, a first-order tectonic context is needed. This presents a challenge, however, because a great variety of alternative and often contradictory tectonic models of Asia have flourished. This plethora of models has in part arisen from efforts to explain limited observations (in space, time or discipline) without regard for the broader assemblage of established constraints. The way forward, then, is to endeavor to construct paleogeographic models that fully incorporate the diverse constraints available, namely from quantitative paleomagnetic data, the plentiful record of geologic and paleobiologic observations, and the principles of plate tectonics. This paper presents a preliminary attempt at such a synthesis concerning the early Paleozoic tectonic history of Asia. A review of salient geologic observations and paleomagnetic data from the various continental blocks and terranes of Asia is followed by the presentation of a new, full-plate tectonic model of the region from middle Cambrian to end-Silurian time (500–420 Ma). Although this work may serve as a reference point, the model itself can only be considered provisional and ideally it will evolve with time. Accordingly, all the model details are released so that they may be used to test and improve the framework as new discoveries unfold.

• Gyøry, Emil; Hammer, Øyvind; Jorde, Knut; Nakrem, Hans Arne; Swajda, Michaël & Domeier, Mathew (2018). The origin of telemarkites from the mesoproterozoic of telemark, Norway. Norwegian Journal of Geology. ISSN 2387-5844. 98(1), p. 25–39. doi: 10.17850/njg98-1-03. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The possible macrofossil Telemarkites enigmaticus from the Mesoproterozoic Gjuve Formation, Telemark supracrustals, southern Norway, was described by Dons in 1959. We here present finds of similar, but larger structures from the somewhat older Åmot Formation (c. 1150–1250 Ma). The elongated, strongly oriented, nodular structures are up to 25 cm long with a carbonate-rich core, and occur in metasandstones of probable lacustrine origin. The structures and surrounding rocks have been studied with a number of techniques, including XRD, XRF, petrographic thinsections, SEM-EDS, X-ray and CT imaging, hyperspectral imaging, anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility, stable isotope analysis (δ13C and δ18O) and palynological preparation. Convoluted and domed beds could represent metamorphosed microbialites, deriving from algal or bacterial mats. The nodular structures remain enigmatic, but may represent oncoids, desiccation features (rollup structures), early diagenetic concretions shaped by groundwater flow, or macrofossils of unknown biological affinity. The structure Telemarkites giganticus Gyøry, Hammer, Jorde, Nakrem, Swajda & Domeier sp. nov. is formally described.

• Domeier, Mathew; Shephard, Grace; Jakob, Johannes; Gaina, Carmen; Doubrovine, Pavel & Torsvik, Trond Helge (2017). Intraoceanic subduction spanned the Pacific in the Late Cretaceous–Paleocene. Science Advances. 3(11). doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aao2303. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The notorious ~60° bend separating the Hawaiian and Emperor chains marked a prominent change in the motion of the Pacific plate at ~47 Ma (million years ago), but the origin of that change remains an outstanding controversy that bears on the nature of major plate reorganizations. Lesser known but equally significant is a conundrum posed by the pre-bend (~80 to 47 Ma) motion of the Pacific plate, which, according to conventional plate models, was directed toward a fast-spreading ridge, in contradiction to tectonic forcing expectations. Using constraints provided by seismic tomography, paleomagnetism, and continental margin geology, we demonstrate that two intraoceanic subduction zones spanned the width of the North Pacific Ocean in Late Cretaceous through Paleocene time, and we present a simple plate tectonic model that explains how those intraoceanic subduction zones shaped the ~80 to 47 Ma kinematic history of the Pacific realm and drove a major plate reorganization.

• Shephard, Grace Elizabeth; Matthews, Kara J.; Hosseini, Kasra & Domeier, Mathew (2017). On the consistency of seismically imaged lower mantle slabs. Scientific Reports. 7:10976, p. 1–17. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-11039-w. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The geoscience community is increasingly utilizing seismic tomography to interpret mantle heterogeneity and its links to past tectonic and geodynamic processes. To assess the robustness and distribution of positive seismic anomalies, inferred as subducted slabs, we create a set of vote maps for the lower mantle with 14 global P-wave or S-wave tomography models. Based on a depth-dependent threshold metric, an average of 20% of any given tomography model depth is identified as a potential slab. However, upon combining the 14 models, the most consistent positive wavespeed features are identified by an increasing vote count. An overall peak in the most robust anomalies is found between 1000–1400 km depth, followed by a decline to a minimum around 2000 km. While this trend could reflect reduced tomographic resolution in the middle mantle, we show that it may alternatively relate to real changes in the time-dependent subduction flux and/or a mid-lower mantle viscosity increase. An apparent secondary peak in agreement below 2500 km depth may reflect the degree-two lower mantle slow seismic structures. Vote maps illustrate the potential shortcomings of using a limited number or type of tomography models and slab threshold criteria.

• Torsvik, Trond Helge; Doubrovine, Pavel; Steinberger, Bernhard; Gaina, Carmen; Spakman, Wim & Domeier, Mathew (2017). Pacific plate motion change caused the Hawaiian-Emperor Bend. Nature Communications. 8. doi: 10.1038/ncomms15660. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  A conspicuous 60° bend of the Hawaiian-Emperor Chain in the north-western Pacific Ocean has variously been interpreted as the result of an abrupt Pacific plate motion change in the Eocene (∼47 Ma), a rapid southward drift of the Hawaiian hotspot before the formation of the bend, or a combination of these two causes. Palaeomagnetic data from the Emperor Seamounts prove ambiguous for constraining the Hawaiian hotspot drift, but mantle flow modelling suggests that the hotspot drifted 4–9° south between 80 and 47 Ma. Here we demonstrate that southward hotspot drift cannot be a sole or dominant mechanism for formation of the Hawaiian-Emperor Bend (HEB). While southward hotspot drift has resulted in more northerly positions of the Emperor Seamounts as they are observed today, formation of the HEB cannot be explained without invoking a prominent change in the direction of Pacific plate motion around 47 Ma.

• Domeier, Mathew; Doubrovine, Pavel; Torsvik, Trond Helge; Spakman, Wim & Bull, Abigail (2016). Global correlation of lower mantle structure and past subduction. Geophysical Research Letters. ISSN 0094-8276. 43(10), p. 4945–4953. doi: 10.1002/2016GL068827. Full text in Research Archive
• Domeier, Mathew (2016). A plate tectonic scenario for the Iapetus and Rheic oceans. Gondwana Research. ISSN 1342-937X. 36, p. 275–295. doi: 10.1016/j.gr.2015.08.003. Full text in Research Archive
• Voo, Rob Van der; Hinsbergen, D.J.J van; Domeier, Mathew; Spakman, Wim & Torsvik, Trond Helge (2015). Latest Jurassic-earliest Cretaceous closure of the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean: A paleomagnetic and seismological-tomographic analysis. Geological Society of America, Special Paper. ISSN 0072-1077. 513, p. 589–606. doi: 10.1130/2015.2513(19. Full text in Research Archive

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• Straume, Eivind Olavson; Torsvik, Trond Helge & Domeier, Mathew Michael (2026). Paleogeography linking mantle processes, climate, and biotic evolution. Full text in Research Archive
• Antonio, Paul Yves Jean; Pioch, L.; Fonfreide, M.; Domon, L.; Dopico, C.M. & Tonti-Filippini, Justin Antony Dean [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2026). Magnetic mineralogy and preliminary paleointensity constraints from Permian intrusive rocks of the Oslo Rift (Norway): implications for the Kiaman Reverse Superchron. Full text in Research Archive
• Domeier, Mathew Michael; Gallo, Leandro C. & Tonti-Filippini, Justin Antony Dean (2026). Mechanistic linkages between remagnetizations and superchrons. Full text in Research Archive
• Tonti-Filippini, Justin Antony Dean; Antonio, Paul Yves Jean; Dahlgren, Sven Harald; Boer, R. de; Gallo, Leandro C. & Silkoset, Petter [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2026). Ediacara obscura: Unveiling hidden magnetisations in the Fen complex, southern Norway. Full text in Research Archive
• Tonti-Filippini, Justin Antony Dean; Antonio, Paul Yves Jean; Dahlgren, Sven Harald; Boer, R. de; Gallo, Leandro C. & Silkoset, Petter [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2026). Ediacara obscura: Unveiling hidden magnetisations in the Fen complex, southern Norway. Full text in Research Archive
• Antonio, Paul Yves Jean; Franceschinis, P.; Heuret, A.; Camps, P.; Casanova, A. & Tonti-Filippini, Justin Antony Dean [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). Whole rock versus single crystal multispecimen paleointensity: insights from Early Mesozoic dykes and Permian gabbros. Full text in Research Archive
• Ryen, Sofie Hildegard; Domeier, Mathew Michael; Augland, Lars Eivind & Boon, Annique van der (2026). Investigating anomalous behaviour of Earth’s magnetic field in the mid- Palaeozoic – preliminary palaeomagnetic results from Silurian Ringerike sandstone of the Oslo Region, Norway. Full text in Research Archive
• Robert, Boris; Conrad, Clinton Phillips; Steinberger, Bernhard & Domeier, Mathew Michael (2025). Linking plate tectonics and true polar wander over the last 250 Myrs. Full text in Research Archive
• Gallo, Leandro Cesar; Domeier, Mathew Michael; Antonio, Paul Yves Jean; Trindade, Ricardo I.F.; Temporim, Filipe Altoé & Tonti-Filippini, Justin Antony Dean [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2024). Using Statistical Learning to Identify Remagnetization Sources in Carbonate Rocks. Full text in Research Archive
• Jaah, Ilyas; Kiraly, Agnes; Shephard, Grace; Conrad, Clinton Phillips & Domeier, Mathew Michael (2024). On the Role of Anisotropic Viscosity on the Motion of the Pacific Plate. Full text in Research Archive
• Xue, Yi; Domeier, Mathew Michael; Silkoset, Petter; Gallo, Leandro C.; Kulakov, Evgeniy & Boer, Rosa de [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2024). Revisiting the paleomagnetism of the Egersund dikes. Full text in Research Archive
• Ryen, Sofie Hildegard; Boon, Annique van der & Domeier, Mathew Michael (2024). The anomalous behaviour of Earth’s magnetic field in the middle Palaeozoic – investigating a 100 million year mystery. Full text in Research Archive
• Ryen, Sofie Hildegard; Boon, Annique van der & Domeier, Mathew Michael (2024). The anomalous behaviour of Earth’s magnetic field in the middle Palaeozoic – investigating a 100 million year mystery. Full text in Research Archive
• Gallo, Leandro Cesar; Domeier, Mathew Michael; Trindade, Ricardo I.F.; Antonio, Paul Yves Jean; Temporim, Filipe Altoé & Warren, Lucas V. (2023). Rock Magnetic Cyclostratigraphy of the Ediacaran-Cambrian Tagatiya-guazu formation, Paraguay. Full text in Research Archive
• Xue, Yi; Domeier, Mathew Michael; Silkoset, Petter; Kulakov, Evgeniy; Gallo, Leandro C. & Boer, Rosa de [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2023). Revisiting the paleomagnetism of the Egersund dikes. Full text in Research Archive
• Lloyd, Simon; Biggin, Andy; Boon, Annique van der; Domeier, Mathew Michael & Lundmark, Anders Mattias (2023). Recent Attempts to Measure the Paleointensity in Key Intervals within the Paleozoic. Full text in Research Archive
• Robert, Boris; Conrad, Clinton Phillips; Steinberger, Bernhard & Domeier, Mathew Michael (2022). Linking plate kinematics and true polar wander over the last 250 Myrs. Full text in Research Archive
• Marcilly, Chloe M.; Torsvik, Trond Helge; Domeier, Mathew Michael & Royer, Dana L. (2021). Refining key parameters for long-term carbon cycle models. Full text in Research Archive
• Marcilly, Chloe M.; Torsvik, Trond Helge; Domeier, Mathew Michael & Royer, Dana L. (2021). Revising key parameters for long-term carbon cycle models. Full text in Research Archive
• Conrad, Clinton Phillips; Domeier, Mathew; Selway, Kate & Heyn, Björn Holger (2020). A link between seamount volcanism and thermochemical piles in the deepest mantle. Full text in Research Archive
• Robert, Boris; Domeier, Mathew & Jakob, Johannes (2020). A diachronous opening of the Iapetus Ocean in the Neoproterozoic. Full text in Research Archive
• Chotalia, Kiran; Cooper, George; Crameri, Fabio; Domeier, Mathew; Eakin, Caroline & Grima, Antoniette Greta [Show all 14 contributors for this article] (2020). The trans-disciplinary and community-driven subduction zone initiation (SZI) database. Full text in Research Archive
• Torsvik, Trond Helge; Svensen, Henrik; Steinberger, Bernhard; Royer, Dana L.; Jerram, Dougal Alexander & Jones, Morgan Thomas [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2020). Connecting the Deep Earth and the Atmosphere. Full text in Research Archive
• Crameri, Fabio; Magni, Valentina; Domeier, Mathew; Shephard, Grace; Cooper, George & Chotalia, Kiran [Show all 14 contributors for this article] (2019). Subduction zone initiation (SZI) database 1.0: Ready, set, model! Full text in Research Archive
• Crameri, Fabio; Chotalia, Kiran; Cooper, George; Domeier, Mathew; Eakin, Caroline & Grima, Antoinette [Show all 14 contributors for this article] (2019). Subduction Zone Initiation Database 1.0. Full text in Research Archive
• Domeier, Mathew (2019). On the stability of Earth’s degree 2 mantle structure. Full text in Research Archive
• Robert, Boris & Domeier, Mathew (2019). Plate tectonic reconstructions of the Iapetus Ocean. Full text in Research Archive
• Domeier, Mathew (2019). Could Earth's Long-Wavelength (Degree-2) Mantle Structure Be Stable Through Time? Full text in Research Archive
• Kiraly, Agnes; Conrad, Clinton Phillips; Domeier, Mathew & Hansen, Lars (2019). Does anisotropic mantle viscosity impede changes in plate motion? Full text in Research Archive
• Domeier, Mathew (2019). Plate Reconstruction Reference Frames. Full text in Research Archive
• Domeier, Mathew; Torsvik, Trond Helge; Conrad, Clinton Phillips; Steinberger, Bernhard; Doubrovine, Pavel & Trønnes, Reidar G [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2019). On the stability of Earth’s degree 2 mantle structures. Full text in Research Archive
• Kiraly, Agnes; Conrad, Clinton Phillips; Domeier, Mathew & Hansen, Lars (2019). Does anisotropic mantle viscosity impede changes in plate motions. Full text in Research Archive
• Conrad, Clinton Phillips; Domeier, Mathew; Selway, Kate & Heyn, Björn Holger (2019). A link between seamount volcanism and thermochemical piles in the deepest mantle. Full text in Research Archive
• Domeier, Mathew; Torsvik, Trond Helge; Conrad, Clinton Phillips; Steinberger, Bernhard; Doubrovine, Pavel V. & Trønnes, Reidar G [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2019). On the stability of Earth’s degree 2 mantle structure. European Geosci. Union, Gen. Assembly, Geophys. Res. Abstr.. Full text in Research Archive
• Magni, Valentina; Bouihol, Pierre; Hunen, Jeroen Van & Domeier, Mathew (2018). The role of subduction velocity in slab dehydration and arc magmatism. Full text in Research Archive
• Hosseini, Kasra; Matthews, Kara J.; Sigloch, Karin; Shephard, Grace; Domeier, Mathew & Tsekhmistrenko, Maria (2018). SubMachine: Web-based tools for exploring seismic tomography models. Full text in Research Archive
• Domeier, Mathew (2018). Full-plate modelling in pre-Jurassic time. Full text in Research Archive
• Domeier, Mathew; Biggin, Andrew J. & Hounslow, Mark W. (2018). Subduction Flux and Seafloor Production: Estimations and Implications. Full text in Research Archive
• Domeier, Mathew; Font, Eric; Youbi, Nasrrddine; Nemkin, Samantha; Voo, Rob Van der & Tohver, Eric (2018). Paleomagnetism and geochronology of Permain extrusives from Morocco: Further insights on the paleogeography of the latest Paleozoic. Full text in Research Archive
• Biggin, Andrew J.; Domeier, Mathew & Hounslow, Mark W. (2018). Subduction flux modulates the geomagnetic polarity reversal rate. Full text in Research Archive
• Domeier, Mathew; Conrad, Clinton Phillips & Selway, K. (2018). A link between seamount volcanism and structures of the deep Earth. Full text in Research Archive
• Conrad, Clinton Phillips & Domeier, Mathew (2018). Tracing the edges of the LLSVPs in the spatial distribution of seamount volcanism. Full text in Research Archive
• Torsvik, Trond Helge & Domeier, Mathew (2017). Correspondence: Numerical modelling of the PERM anomaly and the Emeishan large igneous province. Nature Communications. 8:821, p. 1–3. doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-00125-2. Full text in Research Archive
• Biggin, Andrew J.; Hounslow, Mark W. & Domeier, Mathew (2017). Bridging the mantle: A comparison of geomagnetic polarity reversal rate, global subduction flux, and true polar wander records. Full text in Research Archive
• Conrad, Clinton P. & Domeier, Mathew (2017). Tracing the edges of the LLSVPs in the spatial distribution of seamount volcanism. Full text in Research Archive
• Domeier, Mathew (2017). Plate tectonic modelling in pre-Jurassic time. Full text in Research Archive
• Domeier, Mathew (2017). Early Paleozoic tectonics of Asia: A preliminary full-plate model. Full text in Research Archive
• Domeier, Mathew (2017). Plate tectonic modelling in pre-Jurassic time. Full text in Research Archive
• Doubrovine, Pavel; Torsvik, Trond Helge & Domeier, Mathew (2017). Paleomagnetism and paleosecular variation from the late Miocene to recent lavas of Mauritius. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  We present new paleomagnetic data from the late Miocene to recent lavas of the island of Mauritius in the southwestern Indian Ocean (20.3°S, 57.6°E). The island is a shield volcano that has formed over the Reunion hotspot and is composed of three temporally-distinct series of basaltic lavas: the Older Series (4.7-8.9 Ma), the Intermediate Series (1.7-3.5 Ma) and the Younger Series (0-1 Ma). Oriented core specimens were collected from 36 sampling sites covering all three lava series. Rock magnetic analyses indicate that the remanence carriers in these basalts are pseudo-single-domain titanomagnetites with variable degrees of high-temperature oxidation. Nearly half of the sites showed pervasive magnetic overprints imparted by lightning strikes. Nonetheless, in almost all cases (35 sites), we were able to isolate the characteristic (primary) remanence directions through detailed thermal and alternating field demagnetization experiments, using the principal component analysis of demagnetization data and the analysis of remagnetization circles. Both normal and reverse polarity directions were observed, with the mean direction of the reversely-magnetized lavas (15 sites, D = 189.2°, I = 44°, a95 = 5.3°) being steeper than and ca. 9° of antiparallel from the mean direction of the normal-polarity flows (20 sites, D = 1.1°, I = -37.3°, a95 = 6.9°). The mean normal and reverse directions yield a negative reversal test that is just significant at the 5% probability level (P = 4.5%). However, when our new data set is combined with previously published paleomagnetic results from Mauritius, the difference between the normal mean direction and the antipode of the reverse mean is not significant at the 5% level, yielding a positive reversal test. The paleomagnetic pole corresponding to the combined polarity data set excluding transitional directions (86.7°N, 186.2°E, A95 = 3.5°, n = 32) is slightly far-sided, but the difference between its position and the geographic pole is not statistically significant. The estimates of paleosecular variation (PSV) and inclination anomaly (Sb = 11°, DI = -2°) are in good agreement with the results of PSV studies of recent lavas erupted at low latitudes. The implications of our new results for the structure of time-averaged geomagnetic field and the latitude dependence of PSV will be discussed.

• Planke, Sverre; Zuchuat, Valentin; Svensen, Henrik; Hammer, Øyvind; Braathen, Alvar & Silkoset, Petter [Show all 27 contributors for this article] (2016). Coring and High-Resolution Imaging of the Permian-Triassic Boundary in Deltadalen, Svalbard. Full text in Research Archive
• Domeier, Mathew & Torsvik, Trond Helge (2015). An explicit kinematic scenario for the Iapetus and Rheic Oceans. Full text in Research Archive
• Torsvik, Trond Helge; Voo, Rob Van der; Burke, Kevin; Steinberger, Bernhard & Domeier, Mathew (2014). Deep Mantle Structure As a Reference Frame for Absolute Plate Motions. Full text in Research Archive

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